Matt Schaub throws one of his three interceptions against the 49ers on Sunday night. / Ed Szczepanski, USA TODAY Sports

by Jason Turbow, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by Jason Turbow, Special for USA TODAY Sports

SAN FRANCISCO -- In a forlorn stretch of a forlorn season for the Houston Texans, nobody represents the struggles of football in Southeast Texas better than quarterback Matt Schaub.

Heading into Houston's game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, focus turned to whether Schaub would set an NFL record by throwing a pick-six in his fourth consecutive contest.

It took all of one minute and 23 seconds to find out. Schaub's first pass - on Houston's third play from scrimmage - was picked off by 49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock and returned 18 yards for a score. It was the opening salvo in a game that quickly deteriorated into a 34-3 laugher for San Francisco, the Texans' third consecutive defeat.

"I've worked too hard since I walked into this building to come to this right now," said Schaub afterward, amid a somber Texans locker room. "I'm better than I'm playing, and our team is better than we're playing. We need to all correct this. Very fast."

The question now is, will it be fast enough?

Monday, coach Gary Kubiak said he was sticking with Schaub as his starter - for now. "But I'm in the evaluation process," he said.

If that means a closer look at the film from the 49ers game, then Schaub might not make it to this Sunday when the Texans host the St. Louis Rams.

Brock's interception return was merely the beginning of Schaub's struggles Sunday. The cornerback should have also returned a second-quarter pick for a score, but his momentary bobble allowed Andre Johnson to catch him after he had raced 13 yards to the Houston 32. (Four plays later, 49ers running back Anthony Dixon extended San Francisco's lead to 21-0 with a 2-yard touchdown.)

In the third quarter, Schaub gifted defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie his first career pick off a 2-yard floater intended for tight end Garrett Graham. (This, moments after the quarterback hit charging Niners safety Eric Reed so squarely in the numbers that the ball bounced harmlessly away; had Reed caught the ball, he would have had only Schaub standing between himself and the end zone.)

Jerod-Eddie's pick was all Kubiak could take. When Houston came out for its next possession at the start of the fourth quarter, T.J. Yates was under center. Schaub watched from the bench as Yates went 3-for-5 for 15 yards.

"It's got to be rock bottom," Kubiak said after the game, referring both to his team's losing streak and his quarterback's struggles. "It's got to stop. Hell, it has to."

Such is the state of the Texans, two-time defending AFC South champions predicted almost unanimously to win the division again this season. This, it was widely felt, was Houston's year to reach the next level, to rise to its Super Bowl aspirations.

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Instead, following gutty wins against the San Diego Chargers and the Tennessee Titans to open their schedule, the Texans have tumbled to third place, ahead of only the 0-5 Jacksonville Jaguars. The pressure is mounting, and the questions keep coming back to the quarterback.

"You keep asking me about another grown man's feelings," running back Arian Foster said in responding to one of numerous questions about Schaub's state. "You're going to have to go ask him."

"I am not the quarterback," Andre Johnson, who caught three passes on 10 targets for 39 yards, said in response to a similar query. "I'm not in his situation. I don't know if he is feeling pressure or whatnot."

Schaub was subdued after the game, but endeavored to strike the right tone.

"It's tough right now, after what we've been through tonight, going back to last weekend and even the week before," he said. "I am very confident in my ability and (the ability of) everyone in this locker room. We just need to go and play better."

Last weekend it was the Seattle Seahawks, whose cornerback, Richard Sherman, leaped in front of a Schaub pass in overtime for an interception return that capped a 17-point comeback. The play left Schaub in a facedown stupor on the Reliant Stadium sod, more emotionally devastated than physically hurt.

The days after that game could not have been easy to endure. Schaub's No. 8 jersey was set on fire by fans outside of the stadium. Members of the Texans called a players-only meeting to address problems amid the fallout. The team's radio voice, Marc Vandermeer, had his Twitter feed hacked by somebody who sent out the false message that Schaub had been traded to the Cleveland Browns. The quarterback subsequently deleted his own Twitter account.

Schaub has reached this point despite decent numbers overall. He has topped 300 yards in two games this season and reached 298 in another. Twice he has thrown for three touchdowns, and once he has thrown for two. It is the interceptions - now in five games - that have killed him.

That said, Houston's collapse - three games and counting - is hardly on the back of Schaub alone. San Francisco dominated Houston along both lines Sunday, even with a number of notable injuries. Opposing defensive backs are able to sit underneath the routes of Texans receivers - the primary reason for the abundance of interceptions - because Houston's game plan has not sufficiently challenged them downfield. Even resurgent Foster was unable to have much of an impact Sunday; 118 total yards have never seemed quieter.

"This is the National Football League," said Foster, searching for answers. "It's not easy."